Can’t take your eyes off the big video screen in the dashboard of that new car? Then you should buy the technology that will automatically jam on the brakes if you get distracted and don’t notice that truck stopped up ahead.

That may sound strange, but it’s what the auto industry is telling consumers these days in the way that it pitches technology that tends to draw drivers’ attention from the road and systems that intervene to save a distracted driver from himself.

Intel processors will soon be powering the “infotainment” systems in new Nissan Motor vehicles, the chip company said, continuing its efforts to broaden beyond its core PC market.

Intel’s Atom processor–which is used in the low-end laptops known as netbooks and is starting to appear in some smartphones–will appear in certain Nissan vehicles starting in 2013, the Silicon Valley company said. The chips, which are optimized for the auto market, will power the infotainment system, providing drivers and passengers with features such as traffic information and navigation, as well as movies.